TV-Radio notebook: KILT continues to outshine KBME

TV-RADIO NOTEBOOK

Arbitron's spring book was a good one for Houston's two sports talk stations, although KILT (610 AM) continues with a clear lead over KBME (790 AM).

Here's how things broke down for the weekday daytime parts during the April-June ratings period for KILT and KBME, plus Ralph Cooper's afternoon show on KCOH (1430 AM), among the men's 25-54 demographic:

• Morning drive: KILT had its strongest showing from 6 to 10 a.m. with a 5.4 share, third-best in the market. That's up from 4.2 in the January-March book and from 2.9 a year ago. KBME's ESPN Radio lineup had a 1.1 share for 24th place, up from 0.6 a year ago and even with the winter book.
• Midday: KILT led again at 4.2, sixth-best in the market, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. That's down from 4.5 a year ago and from 4.7 in the winter. KBME's 1.1 share, which ranked 28th, was up from 0.6 a year ago but down from 1.6 for January-March.
• Afternoon drive: KILT held steady at 4.2, tied for sixth, from 3 to 7 p.m. That's up from 3.9 a year ago and down from 4.3 in the winter. KBME's 2.0 share, which ranked 21st, was up from 1.4 a year ago and from 1.7 for the winter. KCOH's afternoon drive share of 0.7, which includes the two-hour Cooper show, was up from 0.6 in the winter book and from 0.2 a year ago.
For 6 a.m. through midnight for the entire week, KILT was the top all-sports station at 3.7, seventh in the market, up from 3.1 a year ago. KBME's 1.2 share was up from .7 a year ago.

KILT program director Bill Van Rysdam noted that KILT's 4.6 share from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays among men 25-54 was third-best in the market and was the top English-language station and top AM station in that demo.

"I'm happy," he said. "Our guys do a great job. People like what they hear, and the ratings prove that."

Sad sack Sunday

The
Astros
weighed heavy on
Jim Deshaies
' mind Sunday afternoon as he zipped up the Hardy Toll Road after watching them blow a four-run lead en route to a 7-6 loss to the
Arizona Diamondbacks
.

"I've been around this game a long time, and I've been on teams that have gone through bad streaks," he said. "And man, this has to be real close to being as tough a loss as I've seen, given a team with high expectations waiting for that breakout stretch.

"They got a great game from ( Roy) Oswalt (on Saturday), and it looked like they were going to win this one. They were going to build momentum, and it feels like a win and you're putting the bats away."

"Tough ballgame today," Milo Hamilton said as he signed off the radio broadcast. "Tough, tough, tough."

Four DVRs, no waiting

"We've gone quietly, trying to get something done, and going quiet with them isn't working," said network spokesman Seth Palansky. "We've got to get to our fans and let them know about the issue."

The situation is particularly irksome in Texas, where Time Warner is the primary cable operator in Houston, Waco, Austin and San Antonio, among others. Time Warner also will operate the Dallas system in an assets swap with Comcast, which carries NFL Network, and is expected to drop the network in that market. ...

Jay Leno on Tour de France winner Floyd Landis canceling an appearance on the Tonight Show after his positive drug test: "I was surprised. Hey, Hugh Grant showed up after he had a problem with too much testosterone." ...

The Astros will honor Ford Frick Award winner Gene Elston on Aug. 12 before the Padres-Astros game. The first 10,000 through the gate will receive a pin honoring Elston, and the Astros will install plaques honoring Elston and Frick Award winner Milo Hamilton at the Minute Maid Park radio booth.

Elston's remarks at the Hall of Fame ceremony Sunday were, characteristically, analytical and generally unsentimental. He closed, however, by noting that Sunday's presentation had surpassed his major league debut with the Cubs in the 1950s as his most cherished moment in baseball.

"With all my heart, I would like to amend that moment and announce first place is now occupied by Cooperstown, this place, my field and my dream," he said. ...

Former Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston will host a show on Sirius Satellite Radio's NFL channel on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning this week. ...

On tap this week for the Four DVRs, no waiting weblog at blogs.chron.com/sportsmedia: We'll wrap up our series on Houston sweeps month sportscasts and add details on the upcoming Houston Symphony concert featuring music from NFL Films.